Iron County register., 1887-07-28


the start, so that they need not be
again referred to.
THE name gave you few moments
ago is my real one. will be twenty,
five years old next week. My mother
died when I was born; 1 was an only
child. and, some way or other, escaped
being entirely spoiled. My father
Heaven rest him!-died three years
ago. He was an importer in Boston,
and very wealthy
':Not Myron Crawford?' the Cap
tain interrupted.
''That was his name"
''Bless me-can it be possible! Why,
my lad, sailed his ships before you
were born. But come to look at your
face closely, l might have seen his
looks in it
''He always thought he was wealthy
(the young man went on), and 1 sup
posed when he died that had inherited
great wealth. The settlement of his
estate showed that it was heavily in
numbered, and liable for other peo-
Piles debts, and, to shorten long
story, found myself with hardly a
dollar in the world. Last spring 1 went
to New Orleans, where 1 fell in with
the filibusters. But there is something
to be told before we get to that.
"My dear father liked the climate of
Cuba, and he made many visits to the
island. These were usually arranged
for my school-vacations, so that could
go with him. Before I became twenty,
1 had passed altogether as much as
two years there. l became about as
proficient in the Spanish tongue as a
native, and Havana is quite as familiar
to me to-day as Boston. These facts will
explain some other things about my es-
cape that seem wonderful to you.
''The standing and correspondence of
my father made him M>-,uain1ances
and friends among the best and richest
people of the island, and you may inn
aoine that our visits were most delight
full. I became enamored with Cuba
its soil, its climate, its great wealth of
vegetation. / began to see when L was
not more than sixteen years old what L
believe now to be true-that it is by
nature the most favored corner of the
globe. read the history of the island,
and could not but see how the iron
tyranny and grasping avarice OF Spain
were dwarfing it. Once spoke to my
father on the subject, and he gave me
some very good advice.
"'My son, read about Cuba, learn all
YOU can about Cuba, and think all you
want to-but don't say a word till you
get back to the United States. There's
nothing too cruel or too mean for
these Spanish authorities to do; and
free speech is an expression that is not
in their dictionary
81 needed his advice.
s.It was on the last of our summer WIS.,
its to the low ATTITUDES that l met the
man whose heroic death you witnessed
Yesterday. NY father had known him
for years. and had many commercial
dealings with him; but circumstances
had prevented his accepting the offer
of his hospitalities at his magnificent
tobacco plantation back OF Matanzas.
At this time we passed there two OF the
most delightful weeks of my life. This
was in 1847; our war with Mexico was
then raging. / was youth of twenty
one; my father died the next year:
Lopez was at this time forty-eight, and
one of the most charming of men. de
would talk by the hour of his military
career in South America and Spain
but I could not get him to say any
thing of Cuba. He would smile at the
enthusiasm of my talk about the island
and its great possibilities and re-
member that he once said:
".Ah, well. Senior Henry, fear you
won't be so SAM suine about poor Cuba
when you have seen as many years as
your father or myself; yet, grdcsos
Dios, who can tell what may happen F!
I believe that Cuba has great future
but sometimes I fear that may not
live to see it. But you may